Home to 2.5m people, Zhuhai, on the west bank of China’s Pearl River Delta, is located just 39 miles from Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge. The bridge opened in October 2018, with InterContinental Zhuhai, on the city’s waterfront Qinglv Road, opening just two months later.
The building that is home to the InterContinental is part of the Yanlord Marina Centre and was designed by CL3 Architects. It is an impressive sail shape, with a sweeping awning covering the driveway and main entrance on the second floor. The hotel is primarily located on floors 26 to 46, although public areas are located on the lower levels, meaning there is no need for a split lobby.
Reception is located to the right of the modestly sized second floor lobby, with a dedicated Ambassador check-in area straight ahead and to the left, near the lift lobby. I didn’t spot this immediately, and so checked in at the main reception, which was welcoming and efficient, even though the staff are not particularly accustomed to non-Chinese speaking guests. We were offered two drinks vouchers for use in the lobby level Bridge Lounge, and two further vouchers for use in the fifth floor Char Bar and Grill (the latter went unused unfortunately). These vouchers were in addition to my Diamond Elite complimentary breakfast for two, although it should be noted that Ambassador members receive complimentary breakfast for one person in Mainland Chinese InterContinentals even if they don’t have Diamond Elite status.
We were initially allocated a Classic room with a Bridge view on the 29th floor (a one category upgrade from our booked Classic / standard room), but upon stepping into the room it was clear that it was a smoking room, so we asked to be moved and were then switched to a Premium room with Bridge view on the 39th floor.
At a spacious 60 square metres, this was a well-appointed and designed space, even if it was slightly battered around the edges if you looked hard enough. In addition to a king-size bed with ottoman at its base, the bedroom featured a built-in desk (sadly facing away from the window, although the drawer did contain branded stationery), a chaise longue positioned parallel to the floor-to-ceiling window, and a neat minibar console.
A walk-in wardrobe near the entrance door contained plenty of luggage storage space, as well as robes and slippers.
Lighting and curtains could be controlled from handy bedside panels, and power provision was good. I particularly liked that the curtains closed automatically when the room was vacated (presumably to prevent the room from overheating) but the system remembered the previous setting when the entrance door was opened once again. Very smart.
A fruit bowl had been placed in our original room as a welcome gift; I had asked for this to be moved to our new room but once settled there we received a call asking if we’d like a fruit bowl delivered. The minibar was complimentary and included a L’OR coffee machine and tea by Twinings, which is a bit like having English Cheddar being the sole offering on a cheese plate in France.
The bathroom was the highlight of the room; at almost the same size as the bedroom, it featured a freestanding bath positioned directly next to another floor-to-ceiling window, dual basins, a large walk-in rain shower, and a separate toilet room. There was even a relaxation bench which looked like a horrendously uncomfortable mini massage table. Byredo amenities were offered in large reusable bottles, although there was only one set of hand wash and lotion for the two basins, which given they were set so far apart was quite annoying.
The Club InterContinental lounge on the 35th floor is ordinarily accessible to Premium room guests, although there appeared to be an error with our room move in that I don’t think the reception team should’ve enabled our room keys for lounge access given the move was a complimentary upgrade. As it was, our keys opened the doors, and it wasn’t until we were sitting down for a light evening meal that we were approached and asked (very politely and apologetically) whether I had an IHG One Rewards Milestone Reward voucher to use for access to the lounge. I didn’t, and so after a bit of an awkward exchange, it was decided that we could continue to use the lounge – it was the reception team’s fault for not disabling the lounge access, after all.
The lounge is as equally well appointed as the rest of the hotel. A small seating nook is located opposite reception, and then the lounge opens out in a fairly thin rectangle. To the left are washrooms and dining seating overlooking an internal zen garden. The main section of the lounge to the right features a self-service buffet, the main dining seating area and two self-service drinks stations either side of the entrance. The dining seating throughout the lounge is a mixture of traditional chairs and tables and slightly more comfortable armchairs and sofas, although the emphasis is clearly on dining and not relaxation as there are few, if any, comfortable seating areas. A mezzanine is home to a bookable meeting room seating 8 people.
The food presentation during the evening was really quite extensive, nicely presented and of good quality. The cold and ambient buffet included a variety of fresh mixed salads, sandwiches, cut fruit, whole fruit, nuts, cakes, biscuits and individually plated desserts. The hot buffet offered at least four hot main course options with hot accompaniments. Drinks were served at the table.
We felt slightly guilty for using the lounge when not technically eligible, so opted to take breakfast the next morning in the hotel’s main restaurant on the second floor, aptly named Commune. This large buffet-led space was absolutely packed and not remotely relaxing or refined, but the buffet was extensive with both Asian and Western options.
Other dining venues at the property include steakhouse Char Bar and Grill on the fifth floor, and Caifenglou on the fourth floor for Chinese fine dining.
Bridge Lounge on the second floor, between reception and Commune, is an attractive bar and lounge space with an understated nautical theme. The carpets could’ve done with a vacuum (as could’ve those in the lifts), but service was keen, and the atmosphere was decent for an afternoon drink.
An outdoor infinity pool (including children’s pool and whirlpool) is available during the summer months, a fitness centre is open all year round, along with saunas within gender segregated (and very smart) changing rooms. The pool attracts a charge of CNY200, although as I stayed during the winter when the pool was closed, I’m not sure whether this charge is waived for status members as is often the case at other InterContinentals that charge for pool access.
InterContinental Zhuhai is a smart property befitting of the InterContinental brand, and a delight to find in one of China’s second tier cities.
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